Need a fun card game to play with a couple of friends? Learn how to play Euchre - a four-play, trick taking card game involving memory and tactics. In class, learn about the basic rules and strategies, then engage in a couple games with three other friends!

What is a meme? What is an internet meme? Learn about what makes a meme and a brief of history of memes.

In 1976, Richard Dawkins, an English evolutionary biologist, proposed an idea in his book The Selfish Gene. What if ideas are like organisms, where they could breed and mutate? These ideas, he claimed, are actually the basis for human culture, and are born in the brain. Dawkins called this concept “meme”, shortened from the Greek “mimeme”, meaning “that which is replicated”.

Memes are the building blocks of a new kind of evolution. They are copied by our brains and behavior and are passed from person to person. They are more than passing fads: they are titanic. They can modify the world and revolutionize life.

In this class we will look at memes as the basis for the information revolution of the digital age. How do memes work? How do they spread ideas? What controversies can/does this cause? How are memes present in your life, and how do they influence your thoughts and opinions?


Prerequisites
An interest in memes and memeology.

We'll explore the intersection of mental health and music! We'll listen to a few songs and then discuss how the artists express their experiences with mental health issues and how we relate to the songs. This class will feature songs by Twenty One Pilots and Linkin Park.

Have you ever noticed how strikingly different some buildings look from each other? Wondered what exactly makes old buildings look "old" or new buildings look "new"? Or heard a building described as "Gothic" but didn't know what that really meant? In this class, you'll learn to identify the features of buildings that make them unique and interesting. In addition, you'll see how buildings with similar features can be grouped into named categories, such as "Victorian Gothic" and "Art Deco." Next time you're walking through a college campus or a historic downtown, this class will help you recognize the architectural styles you see around you.


Prerequisites
Curiosity and interest in the appearances of buildings.

Learning how to read sheet music is essential to learning how to play an instrument. We will learn the basic elements of reading musical notes and notation.

In this class, we'll be exploring the art of making music with our voices! Members of the Cornell University Chorus and Glee Club will be teaching various ways we can create harmony and will be introducing techniques for priming sight singing skills. Come ready to have fun, learn, and sing as a group with us! No formal music instruction background necessary.

Architecture surrounds us, but in more ways than you'd think; from furniture to flatware, Architecture is more than just buildings, spreading from the macro to the micro. In its purest form, it is a way of thinking, analyzing, problematizing, and creating something through that iterative design process. In this course, we will explore how architects think, communicate, and create the myriad of objects and projects that they do.

An introduction to the toe-tapping world of Scottish traditional music!

Learn about and the instruments and styles that have made Scottish music world-famous, listen to modern and traditional Scottish music, and have a go at the bagpipes! Finish off the class by learning a very easy ceilidh ('kay-lee') dance- a style of social dancing which is still incredibly popular in Scotland today.

This course focuses on the ingenuous ways physicists and engineers devise to launch objects. In looking at these we will cover some basic physical mechanics such as momentum and energy conservation. We'll also delve into the clever electromagnetic tricks used to launch probes (rail gun mechanics). These engaging concepts require relatively little knowledge coming in and illustrate the most fundamental of physics concepts.


Prerequisites
Only an understanding of addition, multiplication, and algebra is needed for this course.

Interested in biology? Interested in engineering? Better yet - interested in both? Learn about the field of biomedical engineering and what a biomedical engineer does then try your hand at developing a replacement heart valve on a cardboard model of the human heart. Learn about the design process: test out your ideas and figuring out how to improve upon them until you've made a product that works!


Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of biology

In this course, we will discuss the different kinds of space missions, how to design these missions, and how to to design these spacecraft.

Do you like problem solving? Are you interested in engineering? Do you want to win some cool prizes? Come to Instant Invention!

Instant Invention is a hands-on class for students interested in engineering problem solving. A challenge will be announced for teams of students to solve using everyday materials. The winning team will receive a cool prize at the end of class. A few concepts will be discussed that may be useful to your designs, but you have free reign on how you want to solve the problem. There is no “right” way!


Prerequisites
A basic understanding of physics may help the design process, but all are welcome as relevant topics will be reviewed in the class.

Introduce students to chemical engineering concepts, and then perform experiments with them.


Prerequisites
Some basic chemistry

This course focuses primarily on understanding what kind of personal image we unconscious portray through social media posts. We will examine why/how this occurs, and ways to ensure the right message is being delivered.

No prior knowledge is needed.

In this interactive creative writing workshop, you'll learn how to develop an engaging and powerful writing style by conquering the basic elements of good storytelling and avoiding the most common writing pitfalls. (Featuring Fifty Shades of Gray and other poor techniques that all of us have used at one point or another.)

We can list the problems in our lives and in society. But how do we overcome them? This course looks at the historic revolutions led by inspired leaders such as Mahathma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. and analyzes how they created change through non-violence and appealed to the hearts of people. Given current scenarios, students will approaches to overcome apathy and trigger change. This course will also bring forth some new ideas of Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, which address solutions to the deeper problems in modern times.

Do you want to be able to impress your friends the next time you go to an art museum?! Alternatively, do you want to create work fit for the style of what you might find in an art museum?! We will do an introduction to some topics in art history--discussing works that you can see in Cornell's very own Herbert F. Johnson Museum--and then we will do an art project of our own!

Editing, writing, designing, and more! There are so many different types of publications out there from magazines to newspapers and digital versions too. Here's a crash course about the different roles you can play in a student-run publication and test out your new skills.

Enjoy a break for lunch with your friends! Please register for at least one lunch period on each day of the program.

I'm going to teach you the entirety of Calculus I in just under 2 hours.

We're going to skip over some of the ugly details and focus on what problems calculus solves, the intuition behind what we're doing, and why we're doing it.

We'll go over just about every formula there is, and at the end of the course, you'll do some problems from past AP Calculus exams. It's really not that hard, I promise.

This course will be a bit faster-paced since I have a lot of ground to cover. I don't assume that you know anything more than $$y=x^2$$ and possibly functions like $$f(x) = x^3$$ and $$f(x) = \sin x$$.

Are you a middle school or high school student? Want to change the world with your fingertips? Come join us and bring your ideas to life with the power of coding!

Women in Computing at Cornell (WICC) is hosting an introductory lesson to Computer Science. Students will get the chance to learn the basics of computer science by using hardware and software to create their own projects and tackle real world problems. No experience necessary!

Through this class, we'll discover how we can model languages computationally. We'll cover some theory of language and spend the rest of the time dissecting some basic problems of computational linguistics from the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad. It'll be a lot of problem solving and organic thinking, so bring your sharpest minds!


Prerequisites
Some familiarity with languages (whether through speaking a few, beginner linguistics. or otherwise) would come in handy, but is certainly not necessary. Comfort with mathematical principles and logic would also be useful.

Have you ever had cool ideas about how you think the universe works? Like physics, but hate math? This course is a non-mathematical intro on how you can take an idea you have about how things work and turn it into an even better one.

The topics & structure of the course will be largely decided by student curiosity, but expect discussions on how to do theoretical physics interspersed with interesting examples of strange physical phenomena!

Questions that may or may not be answered in this course include:
-Why are scientists no fun at parties?
-How is the universe out to drive me nuts?
-Why does everyone keep getting math involved?
-What might quantum gravity be like?

If you want, come prepared with an idea/question about physics and we'll discuss it!


Prerequisites
The only course prerequisite is to be curious about the world around you.

With the growing popularity of CRISPR, genetic engineering is becoming increasingly accessible and finding its way into more and more scientific fields. In this course, we will explore what constitutes genetic modification—from selective plant breeding to CRISPR—and what humans are gaining and losing from its ubiquity. This course will put students in the shoes of scientists and lawmakers as they critically evaluate the costs and benefits of genetic engineering applications.


Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of cell biology (including DNA replication) recommended but not required.

During the course we will discuss about the different concepts of how plants communicate, and do a demo on decoding their signals.


Prerequisites
Need a curious mind :)

Trees are all around us -- have you ever stopped to thing about just how cool they are? They can live for thousands of years; grow over 350 feet tall; make fruits, nuts and sugary sap; clone themselves; create colonies; grow on cliffsides, grow in salt water; and so many other cool things. This session will cover a bunch of the really cool things that trees (and forests) do!

Have you ever thought about the science behind your food and It’s journey to your plate? Do you know what food science is or want to learn more about the field? In this course, students will have the opportunity to learn about food science and how it affects our our daily lives. Students will also have the opportunity of hands on engagement through demos and tastings relevant to the course.


Prerequisites
Due to food tastings in the course, for students with allergies or dietary restrictions, please be advised of certain allergens, specifically dairy, nuts, citrus, high fructose corn syrup, gluten, wheat, and gelatin.

Are you for or against coconut oil? How about honey? For years, our culture has pointed fingers at sugar and fat, blaming one or the other as the reason for our obesity epidemic. Fad diets such as "keto" endorse high-fat and low-carb, while conventional diets support high-carb, low-calorie. As someone looking to lose weight or be healthier in general, what the heck is going on? Which one is better? This class will examine what happens to fat and sugar in your body, explore the nuances of mainstream dieting, and discuss how these foods affect our long term health.

We will be comparing the anatomy of many different domesticated species, going to Ezra's Farm and learning about external anatomy of live sheep and cannulated cows, and completing group dissections on one (or more) species. This class might not be for the squeamish.

Whether you think they're cool or scary, reptiles are an amazing group of animals. In this class, you'll learn about their natural history, their shared characteristics, and traits that make this diverse group unique.


Prerequisites
Be comfortable with LIVE reptiles!

This class focuses on the importance of eating nutritious food and maintaining a balanced diet. Students will learn how to identify foods high in fat, sugar, and salt as well as essential vitamins. Additionally, they'll have a chance to make and sample some healthy snacks with food provided. *Note: Peanut butter will be provided, but please let me know if you have any nut allergies!

Plants come in all shapes and forms, but why does each plant look the way they do? Join us in a journey to discover the evolution of different plant forms and recognize how they relate to one another! I will discuss the anatomical features of a wide variety of plants and how they serve to solve basic physiological problems. Connections to physics, physiology, evolution, and genetics will be drawn. Unique features of domesticated food crops will also be discussed. No prerequisites required, just a curious mind:)!

Every day you eat food and wear clothing. Have you ever thought about where that food and fiber comes from? From Agriculture! We'll take time to explore our nation's largest industry- full of farmers, scientists, plant breeders, zoo keepers, leaders, and many more careers! Expect a hands-on, engaging learning environment!

A brief introduction into Epigenetics, what it is, and how it relates to DNA and genes


Prerequisites
Some biology and knowledge of what DNA is.

The goal of this workshop is to empower adolescents to become responsible, consenting individuals. This workshop will include discussion topics such as: general reproductive anatomy and function, health and disease in the context of sexual intercourse, contraception, medical and emotional support services, and gender identity and sexuality in society. By the end of this workshop, students will not only gain a greater sense of personal autonomy and decision-making to address their individual libido and reproductive needs, but also develop increased social awareness on gender identification and sexual preference.


Prerequisites
None.

The U.S. is a leader among many issues, but did you know that the U.S. also leads the world in percentage of people behind bars? What are the reasons behind this?
Come learn about the different issues within mass incarceration, such as mandatory minimum sentencing, private prisons, recidivism, and more. No prior knowledge needed. All are welcomed! Note: This topic may be sensitive to certain individuals.

This course will delve into basic supply and demand economics, explaining where prices come from, how companies compete, how people purchase goods, and even a quick mention of taxes. This course requires only a very basic understanding of math and describes important and applicable concepts through engagement (simulation of goods and services with apples and peelers).


Prerequisites
Only an understanding of addition, multiplication, algebra and plotting is needed.

This course is going to examine the various judicial philosophies employed by Justices on the Supreme Court. We will look at and compare these different interpretations. The course has no prerequisites and is open to all hoping to learn about the Supreme Court and the law.

Let's say your friend is in a predicament. What's the difference between telling them that their situation sucks and that you understand what they are going through? Empathy, of course! Empathy is the experience of putting yourself in a specific mindset such that you are able to understand what someone else is going through from their perspective. It is an integral part of strengthening relationships, and is important to prosocial behavior in humans. In this class, we will discuss empathy and how it manifests across different cultures, in addition to exploring research related to its biological basis and its varied psychological and sociological implications. Hopefully we can understand how truly important it is to be empathetic to those around you along the way!

A world dominated by artificial intelligence is quickly approaching. While many are optimistic and excited about the AI future, many seem to be—quite frankly—terrified. Elon Musk warned at MIT's AeroAstro Centennial Symposium that by advancing AI we may very well be "summoning the demon." Stephen Hawking told BBC that because humans are limited by slow biological evolution, full AI will likely supersede us, and such an event "could spell the end of the human race." This class explores the psychological implications, both good and bad, associated with such a future.

Have you ever thought about what attention is? Why is it so hard to focus on reading or homework sometimes, or even a TV show? Does this mean that attention is not something we can control? Then what does our brain do secretly? In this class, you will explore the psychology of attention by participating in some real, cool, and fun experiments related to attention. Bonus: you will also get a sneak peek of what you can learn in Psychology classes / as a Psychology major!